How To Clean a Chemex : #CoffeeTip

How To Clean a Chemex Without Scrubbing

I’m sure a great number of people have shared my struggle to clean coffee equipment that has a narrow opening. Coffee oils cling to surfaces and turn rancid. These rotten oils add undesirable flavors to your brew. Nasty! I had a long bottle brush, but it was a total PITA to get it in just the right shape to make sufficient contact. Achieving enough pressure to scrub the oils away was another challenge.

There Has to be a Better Way!

Yes, there is a better way, and it is ridiculously simple to clean your Chemex, with absolutely zero scrubbing. This method will also work quite well with airpots, siphon brewers, as well as any other item that is made of metal or glass. I never use any detergents on plastic items, as plastics can hold onto cleaners forever. OxiClean is like a solid form of Hydrogen Peroxide, so it doesn’t seem to contain anything that would leave tastes behind, but I haven’t used it on plastic yet. Perhaps I’ll test it out on a cheapo Melitta.

What You’ll Need

Hot Water

2T – 3T of OxiClean (Readily available at local stores)

Directions

Add OxiClean to the Chemex

Fill Chemex with hot water

Wait 2-6 hours

Rinse

You see how scuzzy my 13-cup Chemex was. I used about 3T of OxiClean and let it sit for about 2 hours. I could immediately see the coffee oils lifting away from the sides of the Chemex. It was magical and sounded like a bowl of Rice Krispies.

Do you have any tips or tricks to cleaning coffee equipment?

If so, please include them in the comment section!

Expires: January 1, 1970

Expires: January 1, 1970

Expires: January 1, 1970

Expires: January 1, 1970

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Nate is a special kind of coffee lover. He began drinking the same swill that most others do, but thought there must be something better out there. Sure enough, he was right, even more so than he ever dreamed possible. He soon found his way into the specialty coffee industry, and was tasting exceptional coffees from dozens of roasters from around the country. He is now committed to teaching others how they can appreciate coffee, and how they can make the best coffee in town and save money at the same time! Cheers c[_]